Monster
by AllieBe
Summary: He was as unreachable as the smoke, and yet as dangerous as a true snake. [Dr/Hr]


**I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER (I wish I did)**

**MONSTER**

Hermione found herself doing late classwork in the Hospital Wing. She had been there for 3 days now, and had not attended a single class. McGonagall had given her permission to be absent from class for 4 days and 4 days only. She had one day left, but the fact that she didn't attend class didn't mean she wasn't working on her studies. Ron and Harry often visited her-very often actually-and gave her the notes each one took during classes. She would most of the times use Harry's notes, which were more complete. Ron's were…well, she now knew why Ron had trouble when it came to studying for exams or writing essays, she highly doubted professor Snape had instructed them to draw himself as a cartoon saying things like: "I have no friend and my life is sad." She made an annoyed face, it was ok that Ron didn't like him very much-she didn't herself-but this was a total lack of respect for a teacher. She would scold him later.

As she went on constructing her own notes, she noticed that at the middle of a perfectly written summary on the use of a weird drought, Harry had the brilliant idea of playing tic-tac-toe with Ronald. Curse it! She should have never showed that game to them. She sought for more notes from Harry, but apparently the young wizard had been paying no attention to any class whatsoever that particular day.

"Great." She silently muttered to herself "how am I even supposed to keep up with classes now?" the irritation she felt in that given time made her want to run out of the Hospital Wing-even if she was using nothing but her underwear and the robes Madam Pomfrey had given her- straight into Gryffindor's common room, up the stairs to the where Ron and Harry slept, and just slap them both with a big, dusty book for being so goddamn irresponsible! On a second thought, she really couldn't go out to the public aisles of the castle dressed like that. It was so improper and she honestly did not feel the least comfortable wearing so little clothing. Besides it was late, she was already giving McGonagall problems for not being able to assist to class, she was not planning to get into trouble when she was already being a nuisance.

After a long sigh, she allowed her body to fall back into the bed, her head resting on the comfortable pillows that Harry had arranged for her. In an attempt to ease her frustration she started to slowly rub her temples, her mother used to massage them when she was little and was anxious or frustrated about something, it calmed her like no other thing. Her mother was not around, but she could do it on her own.

"Mr Malfoy, for the last time, you are not allowed to wonder around the Castle at this late hours of the night!" she heard Pomfrey's voice form afar at the same time a light was turned on at the entrance of the Hospital Wing. However, as it was Malfoy, her curiosity just turned off and she offered no intension to even look that way.

"I have permission, Madam. McGonagall sent me here." He said providing Pomfrey with a parchment signed by the Gryffindor house leader. "Besides, I wont stay long. I'm here to deliver something to Hermione Granger."

The mention of her name caught Hermione's attention. Draco still emitted the disdainful tone of voice when he said her name, almost as if her name came with some kind of poison that cause him to want to vomit. It was really offensive, but McGonagall had sent him to deliver something to her, so Malfoy was going to be quick, was not going to insult her, and was just going to receive some sort of thing from McGonagall, although she could have sent someone else.

"Alright Mr Malfoy, but be quick. I don't want you keeping Miss Granger up for more than 10 minutes. She needs to rest." Said Madam Pomfrey after reading what seemed to be a legitimate parchment McGonagall had sent with Draco to the Hospital Wing. Malfoy smiled politely to the nurse before nodding.

Madam Pomfrey eyed him before guiding him towards Hermione's bed, where she appeared to be reading, minding her own business, even if she had just listened everything that happened.

The Hogwarts nurse guided the young Slytherin all the way to Hermione's bed once there Pomfrey drew the curtain and found Hermione calmly reading one of the books Harry had brought to her early that very same morning. Hermione acted as if she was not expected any of that and sat straight up waiting for Madam Pomfrey to proceed. It only took a couple of minutes for the elder woman to explain the whole situation to Hermione who nodded and smiled to every thing the nurse said.

"Now…I'll leave you alone for a little while, got some potion I need to take a look at." She eyed them both before leaving. "Behave, please." And with those last words she made her way into her office and no more was seen from her.

"Well, well Granger. Seems to be you're getting even uglier than usual. Never thought that was quite possible, and yet here you are." The mockery in Draco's voice made Hermione burn in immediate anger. The little ferret…

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she decided it was better to get over with the whole situation than stand a single extra second with the big git of Malfoy, after all, she was supposed to rest not listen to Malfoy's rude remarks on both her looks and muggle blood.

Malfoy merely smirked in satisfaction, as if he knew that single remark had indeed bothered her to the point of rushing him to move on and so leave her be. As if that was going to happen.

"Whoa, Granger. Don't rush; we do have about 10 minutes I believe. Wouldn't want to waste all our time together, now would we?" the sarcasm in his voice was as clear was crystalline water, and Hermione was hating him even more by the second. She wanted to grab her wand and threaten the bastard and watch him run away like the little girl he really was.

She decided to remain silent, reserving herself to only look at him with cautious eyes. She knew where she stood had Malfoy been any more of a merciless bastard; she was an easy prey at that given time. Little clothing, rather sick, no wand at hand and specially no Ron or Harry that could aid her in case Malfoy decided to strike. There was Madam Pomfrey of course, but everyone knew her hearing sense was quickly disappearing, she was getting older after all and her office was quite far form the actual Hospital Wing (which was why so many horny couples decided to make out there at late hours of the night when they knew Pomfrey was not going to be around and had no ear to know). Although, Malfoy wouldn't attack her within the Hogwarts walls…Dumbledore was there, along with the other teachers; it would be a rather stupid move to make and Hermione knew Draco a coward but he was certainly not stupid. He had to know better.

"Such a hard look, Granger. So rude."

"I know it was you." Malfoy's mocking stare turned into a much more dark one, it was almost as if his eyes had gone from their normal clear grey tone to much darker tone. A smirked crossed his features once again, and Hermione had to hide the shivers that tormented to shake her. "It was no coincidence that I was found unconscious in the library 3 days ago. You were there, Malfoy…I saw you."

He laughed and rolled his eyes. The accusation itself was offensive to Draco, but he was not about to show that it offended him that she thought so badly of him. Maybe he could even use that to his advantage.

"Yeah, because following you to the library is my only, real hobby." He snorted "Please, Granger, as if you were half _as_important in my life." His cold, stoned eyes came to rest at Hermione's chocolate brown ones. Draco could see fear written all over them, but at the same time there was a tiny spark hidden within them that allowed him to know she feared but at the same time found courage in that same fear; funny how the little mudblood worked.

"Why are you lying?"

She heard her voice cracking at the last word, as if she was just about to breakdown there, in front of the enemy. Of course she wouldn't allow herself to lose it, much less to give Draco the satisfaction to know how much she feared him. As ridiculous as it sounded in Hermione's logical mind, the cowardly boy she once knew and pitied had completely changed into a mysterious man; as unreachable as the smoke yet as dangerous as a true snake.

Evidently, Draco noticed but instead just kept his eyes sight locked in Hermione's eyes. He could do it, right? He could perfectly entered her mind and destroy everything she ever found him to be. He knew he was entirely exposed to the witch in front of him, he almost felt naked before her sparkling eyes, but he wouldn't hurt her. He couldn't.

"Let's just leave it here, Granger. I saved your bloody life, better thank me rather than point fingers at me." He threw some neatly wrapped parchments into Hermione's lap. "They're my notes. Don't take it as charity, mudblood, it's all under McGonagall's orders."

Hermione's eyes threaten to water, but still she hold them up strong. Why was she being so goddamn vulnerable? Her mind allowed herself to be sure that it was a mere symptom of the medication she was taking, maybe some strange side effect that caused her to be so susceptible to anything that was meant to offend her. She followed along this train of thought even when she knew the problem went even deeper, to those parts of herself that she didn't know, and didn't have a reasonable way of being. That strange muscle that she still couldn't decipher, entire new mysteries just as the eyes of Malfoy were. The heart.

Draco's hard stare relaxed notably. He titled his head to one side slightly, and then his lips formed a perfect smile that drawled Hermione in for some reason she was abruptly fighting. "Night, Granger. And please do try to keep my notes as clean as you can possibly handle." His eyes travelled from her torso to her eyes with disgust "Even if that's a hard concept for your little mudblood brain to handle, do try your best."

And just like that the Slytherin prince left the infirmary with an elegant and constant pace. He turned on the corner of the big entrance and disappeared into the uncertainties of the night.

Hermione's eyes went from the corner where Malfoy disappeared to the pack of parchments resting on her lap. She took them into her hands, feeling the desperate need to rip each one of them into tiny little pieces, to squeeze them in her hands, to destroy them as if the parchments were Malfoy himself.  
And right there, Hermione's tears dropped all over the parchments, staining them and making the ink spread through the delicate pages. She didn't care she was ruining them, she didn't care that she was letting herself fall for Malfoy's offensive comments on her non-magical blood and the constant fear that he aroused in her, she didn't care about anything. She just wanted to sit there in the lonely corridors of the Hospital Wing and let the rage and fear inside her fall with each drop that ran down her eyes, into her cheeks and finally into Draco's notes.

Draco stayed hidden near the big doors of the Hospital Wing, vaguely listening to Hermione's rather weak sobs. The distant echoes of her sobs made Draco's heart twist a pinch in agony. He knew he couldn't possibly have her any close to him, and he also knew he had to push her as far away as possible. He couldn't deal with whatever his father could do to her if he found out about the burning crush he had on the Gryffindor princess. Even imagining it caused him pain because he knew he couldn't allow her to suffer, in fact, he wouldn't allow her to feel anything closely related to the kind of pain his father would inflict on her.

And yet, he didn't want to let her go. He wanted to sit beside her and caress her pinkish cheeks while repeatedly telling her that everything was going to be ok, that she was safe and that they could pursue something bigger than just a mere status of being classmates. He wanted…

His heart sank deeper into his chest when her crying became louder. Hands came to cover ears; he couldn't bear listening to her cries. It was too much for him to handle. He didn't know why things had to be the way the were, it didn't make any sense to him as to why destiny had decided to play such cruel parts in the separation he had to live. He couldn't freely love the one he was crushing on. He couldn't even talk to her in a way that was not meant to purposely insult her.

Had destiny been any kinder, he had moved fast to be the one who had his arms wrapped around her. But destiny was not kind, and she was never going to belong into his arms. It was something he'd just have to learn to live with.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he tore himself from the wall he was leaning against. He started walking towards his own common room trying hard to ignored the fact that he was leaving Hermione all on her own. Not that she knew she wasn't, but it did serve him as some sort of comfort to know he was still there for her. Even when she didn't know, even if she didn't see him…he was there. He was always there.


End file.
